Johf gill



(No Model.)

J. GILL.

' MACHINE FOR FORMING HAT BODIES. No. 311,826. Patented Feb. 3, 1885.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

I JOHN GILL, OF ORANGE, NEW JERSESC' MACHINE FOR FORMING HAT-BODIES.

$PECII-"ICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 311,826, dated February 3, 1885. Application filed September 5, 1884. (NomodcL) T0 OLZZ whom it may concern/.- v

Be it known that I, JOHN GILL, of Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jer' sey, have invented certain new and useful Improveinents in Machines for Forming Hat- Bodies, of which the following is a spccitica tion.

My invention relates to machines for manufactnring felt hat-bodies; and it consists in ap plying to the door-sections of the entire body of the depositing-chamber internal flexible guides to direct the fur and cause the body to be made thicker or thinner, as required, at different points. The guides are made of metal preferably, and of such character that they may be readily bent into, and that they shall retain, the form given them.

The invention is more especially designed for application to the machine for which Letters Patent of the United States were granted to me bearing date the 15th day of June, 1875, and numbered 164,544, but may also be applied with good results to other forms orstyles of hat-body machines.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine embodying my improvements, and Fig. 2 a top plan View of the same.

In practical use of the Gill fur-forming ma chine, (patented January 13, 1857, and now in general use,) a ledge nearly horizontal has been placed within the reservoir or fur chamber for the purpose of aiding the distribution of the fur, which reduces with much abruptness the area of the chamber around the greater part of the lower portion of the case, and forms a surface sufficiently fiat to admit of accumulations of the coarser portions of the fur fibers,which are constantly liable to be drawn into and injure the bat, and cause the larger portion of the fur to be whirled about in turning the angles of the ledge before it reaches the narrow passage-way between the nearly-perpendicular wall of the ledge and of the cone, through the upper end of which the greater part of the fur which covers the base of the cone must pass, givingitawhirling motion in this crowded area,which prevents the smoothness and evenness of deposit of the fur fibers, which may be made withoutthe ledge. The flexible guides upon the doors, while directing asufficient portion of the fur to such parts as desired, overcome the object-ion of crowding or whirling ofthe fur, and asmoother, cleaner, and better hat body is thereby produced.

In the machine patented to me, as above mentioned, the depositing-chamber was formed with an annular space or enlargement around the base of the perforated cone, and air was permitted to enter said annular space from the exterior to prevent the deposit of for within the space about the base of the cone, and to aid in thinning the bat at the lower end, from which portion the brim of the hat is formed. These features I retain in the present machine, which is in fact best made identical with my former one, except that the guards are added thereto, as'mentioned. Moreover, some bats require the lower or rim portion to be thinned or thickened more than others, this depending largely upon the style of hat forwhich the bat is intended.

I avoid the difficulties noted and attain a perfect regulation and control of the deposit by my improvement, which will readily be understood by referring to the annexed drawings.

A indicates the inverted conical'depositingchamber, within which is placed the hollow perforated cone B, upon which the bat is termed, the cone being supported upon a lo tating disk or platform, 0, as usual. Beneath the cone and its supporting-platform the usual exhaust fan or mechanism is located, and at one side of the chamber A is the usual feeding mechanism, as plainly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These parts,being all of ordinary construction, need not be further described here, reference being hereby made to my prior patent, above mentioned, for such details as are not herein described.

D and E indicate the doors or door-sections, which are thrown open in Fig. 1 to show the guards F, which constitute the subject-mat ter of my invention. These guards are made of sheet-iron, tin, annealed brass, copper, or any similar flexible material which will retain the form given it. The guides are soldered, riveted, or otherwise secured to the innerfaces of the doors D E, a short distance above the upper wall of the annular chamber or enlargement G, which is partly formed by the door-sections when the latter are closed. The guides project inward and downward toward the base of cone B, the angle ofinelination be- ICO ing varied from time to time, as required, by

the particular class of work to be done.

ward. As the cone Brevolves somewhat rapidly, the effect of the guides is secured at all points in the circumference of the bat.

In the drawings Ihave represented the body or shell of chamber A as raised up from the base on which it stands, so that the air may enter beneath it, instead of .passing through perforations in the wall, as in my former patcut. This construction is both cheaper and more satisfactory in its results, though based upon the same principle.

I make no claim to the annular space or enlargementofthe chamber about the base of the perforated cone, nor to any other feature shown in my former patent, thepresent invention being confined solely to the guides applied to the ordinary or former-styles ofhat-body machines.

1 am aware that for the purpose of varying the deposit of fur an ex pansible deflector has been arranged within the case and adapted to be raised orlowered bodily, as required. This I do not claim. My plan is not only simpler and cheaper, but is far moresatisfactory in its results, as demonstrated by practical use..

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In combination with the depositing-chamber of a hat-body machine, and with its cone and fan, flexible metal guides orplates rigidly secured to the interior of said chamber, and adapted to be bent up or down to vary their 1 angle of inclination to and their distance from the cone, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a machine for forming bats for hatbodies, 850., a depositing-chamber provided with fiexibleguides extending from the inner walls of said chamber inward toward the perforat'ed cone, and adapted to be set at any desired angle by bending, substantially as and for the purpose explained.

3. In a machine for forming bats for hatbodies, 850., the combination of a perforated rotary cone, a chamber encircling said cone. door-sections forming portions of the walhot' said chamber, and provided with flexible guides extending inward from said wall toward the cone, and adapted to be set at any desired angle, and exhaust mechanism for producing an air-current inward through the perforated cone, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially. as shown and described.

at. The herein-described hat-body machine. consisting of chamber-A, having annular space G, perforated cone B. rotary platform 0, doors D E, provided with guides F, and exhaust mechanism communicating with the interior of the cone, substantially as described and shown.

JOHN GILL.

Witnesses: Y

E. A. KYNoR, JAMES J. FARRELL. 

